One Tuesday Evening
by alithealligator
Summary: Aelita has had enough of going to dinner without the company of her favorite programmer.


Author's Note: I wrote this a few weeks ago for my forum's Jeremie and Aelita fan-club. It's a short one-shot, not completely and totally fluffy, although I'd be a bad fan to say they aren't sweet. I hope you enjoy!

I do not own Code Lyoko or any of its characters.

Summary: Aelita has had enough of going to dinner without the company of her favorite programmer.

--

It was a normal enough Tuesday evening, unless one counted the fact that Yumi was still around as a deviation from all other normal Tuesday evenings. Their group was slowly making their way towards the cafeteria, chatting amiably amongst each other, Odd wondering aloud what sort of dishes would be served that night; shockingly he had forgotten to check.

They were lined two by two, as the fifth member of their group was only noted by his absence, as it had been for the past several days. The girls, who walked behind the boys, were discussing the one missing member of their group; Jeremie.

"You know, I am getting worried about him," Yumi confided in Aelita. "When's the last time he's eaten any meals with the rest of us, anyway?"

"Sunday," Aelita replied heavily, "and that was only lunch, too." She knew that he ate other than at mealtimes; she forced him to, bringing him leftovers from their table and pestering him until he ate them. But, like Yumi, Aelita's concern was also growing.

Yumi sighed audibly. "I know he's working and all, but if he doesn't take care of himself he could end up in really bad shape."

Aelita's steps slowed.

"You're right. I really wish he'd come to dinner with us." Aelita had stopped all together. Yumi stopped as well, looking at Aelita curiously. The boys, who had seemed to notice the girls pause, turned around.

Odd asked, "You coming?" with his hand on his stomach.

"Yumi, you go on," Aelita said, placing her hands in the pocket of her jumper with something like resolution. "I'm going to go back and see if I can get Jeremie to come along."

Yumi put her hands on her hips and gave Aelita a skeptical look. "Are you sure? He was in a pretty bad mood today, maybe it would be better to leave him alone."

Aelita shook her head, and said, in Odd's direction, "Don't eat his portion. He's coming to dinner." She turned on her heel and walked away from them, Yumi looking concerned and Odd abashed.

--

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, leaving Aelita a clear view of the boy she was about to convert. Her resolute expression faltered for a moment, seeing him sitting there, pale as ever, in front of the screen, typing away at some new program or another, working himself to the bone. But that gave her all the more reason for her cause. She stood a little bit straighter and walked into the lab.

"Oh, hi, Aelita," Jeremie greeted her, glancing over to her and giving her a small smile before turning back to his screen. "Shouldn't you be at dinner?"

"Hello, Jeremie," Aelita returned the greeting sweetly, smiling in the same way. Jeremie actually turned back to her at the tone of her voice. "Yes, but… I was hoping you'd come with me."

Jeremie stared at her for a moment, confused, before he shook his head and turned away again. "You know I can't do that, Aelita. I've got too much to do. I'm already behind schedule, at this rate I'll be working until-"

Jeremie braced himself as he felt the chair beneath him move, not of his own accord. Aelita was now holding both arm rests with her hands and she stared up at him, her eyebrows raised in a half-innocent, half-sad sort of way.

"Jeremie, you haven't eaten with me for days." She sounded sincerely upset.

"Only one," Jeremie reminded her, leaning back a bit, a blush creeping on to his cheeks.

"I don't know what to do! You're not sleeping, not eating… You're worrying me sick, Jeremie Belpois."

Jeremie swallowed uncomfortably; she didn't often use his surname; however, he shook his head and said, in what he hoped was enough of an authoritative voice so that she would leave him alone, "I'm sorry Aelita, but I really have too much to do."

Her eyes narrowed.

That was not the reaction he had been hoping for.

Leaning forward abruptly, causing Jeremie to jump and attempt to push himself farther back into the chair, Aelita said, in a much less sugar-coated tone, "Jeremie, honestly, this has gone on long enough. We're all worried. I know you have a lot to do, but that doesn't give you the right to treat yourself like this."

"I'm fin-"

"You are not fine!" Aelita contradicted him before he got the chance to finish. She motioned to his arms, he having grabbed on to the back of the armrests. "You're shaking, you're paler than I remember…"

Annoyance was starting to nip at Jeremie, even in spite of Aelita's good intentions. "I can take care of myself, Aelita."

"Obviously you can't!"

"Go to dinner, the others are missing you."

"They're missing you too!"

Jeremie scoffed, and, to Aelita's great irritation, snapped the chair back in to its original position, continuing on his work with a furrowed brow.

Aelita had half a mind to slap whatever of Jeremie she could reach, and she had even raised her hand to do so, although right before she was about to bring her hand forward, she changed tactics.

Placing her hand gently on his shoulder, she turned him towards her, Jeremie looking over to see a pleading face looking up to him.

"Jeremie, please."

"Aelita, I can't," Jeremie replied, although he sounded a lot less sure now.

"I'd really like it if you did."

"I know, but…"

"We could even sit together."

"Aelita, I…"

Aelita reached up with her other hand, placed one finger over Jeremie's lips and softly shushed him. A mischievous look had replaced the pleading one.

Jeremie made a soft noise of surprise, his eyes wide, as Aelita stood on her toes, their faces moving closer…

--

"Hey, it's Mr. and Mrs. Einstein!" Odd shouted jovially over the crowd, waving at the two as they sat down opposite Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi, their hands full with their meals.

Aelita was looking extremely proud of herself as she cut off a bit of her lasagna, looking over to Jeremie, who was staring at his food as though he couldn't bring himself to look anywhere else. He was still quite red in the face.

Yumi leaned forward towards Aelita and asked, in hushed tones, "How'd you get him to come?"

"Oh," Aelita replied, grinning from ear to ear, "it's not hard, you just have to know how to persuade him."


End file.
